New Delhi, July 26 (IANS) Almost a month after US Secretary of State John Kerry visited India, Vice President Joe Biden came to tend the relationship, which has flagged both politically and economically in recent months as both countries prepare for elections in 2014.
Biden held forth on the "strategic convergence" between the two countries and what need to be done to realise the full potential of US-India relations. Declaring that the US is not taking its eye off the diplomatic ball in the Asia-Pacific region despite its commitment to the MiddleEast and Europe, Biden made it clear what the Obama administration is looking for in the immediate future and thereafter.
The media largely zeroed in on his focus on the need for more economic reforms and greater ease in doing business, collaboration on defence and India's role in the Asia-Pacific theatre. What they missed in the process are the rather significant pronouncements, the important takeaways of the visit.
In his talks with his interlocutors in New Delhi and Mumbai, Biden outlined America's efforts to deepen relations with Asian-Pacific countries that would be good for business and regional stability. He called for a trilateral dialogue between India, China and the US to "help grow" the world economy and broaden global prosperity.
"And we want it to be constructive. There are three big nations, we are three big nations, China, India and the US, with our own perspectives. We have significant common interests. All three of us and the entire region would benefit if we coordinated more closely," Biden said in a speech on "US-India Partnership" in Mumbai.
India, US and Japan have held three rounds of trilateral dialogue focusing on a raft of security issues in the Asia-Pacific. "It is past time we launch one with China," he said, in a clear reference to the US-India-Japan trilateral dialogue.
Biden also tried to clear the air about US-China relations in view of the what strategic analysts repeatedly point out in the context of concerns over China's growing military might, its territorial disputes with neighbours and the June Obama-Xi meeting.
"I've heard people talk about the US-China relationship as everything from the next Cold War to the next G2. None - neither of those characterisations is accurate," Biden said. "I've had discussions on this issue while I've been here, but I knew it already, like India, we have a complex relationship with China. It has important elements of cooperation and also competition."
To further US cooperation with India and China, Biden said he would want both the Asian powers to join the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact. Washington hopes to finalise the TPP before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Bali in October which it believes will be the perfect vehicle for updating global trade standards.
"We believe it is doable, and we are working hard to get this done this year...We firmly believe this (trade pact) will be a strong incentive for other nations to raise their standards as well," Biden said ahead of his visit at the Centre for American Progress at George Washinton University, adding that the Obama administration was reaching out to other emerging economies.
Delegations from Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam hope to conclude the pact before the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Bali in October.
Biden Friday met Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Singapore during which both reportdely discussed Tokyo's joining TPP.
In a speech hosted by the Center for American Progress at George Washington University earlier, Biden had referred to the Obama-Xi Sunnylands climate deal as an example of further cooperation. "We just concluded an agreement with China to reduce the use of pollutant" called HFCs (hydroflurocarbons) that cause climate change.
"And there's no reason we cannot do more with India as well."
Calling for greater economic exchange with India, he saw opportunities for US investment, particularly in technology and infrastructure. "Imagine what our two countries can achieve together, not only for one another but for the economic and political stability of the region," he told a packed room at the Bombay Stock Exchange in Mumbai.
Biden also alluded to possible friction at a meeting of the World Trade Organisation in Bali in December over agriculture. "We need to find a way forward to address India's... legitimate concern about food security without distorting global trade. It is a difficult problem but it must be addressed."
He also asked India to grow business ties with East Asian countries and increase military cooperation with the US to ensure ships can navigate freely in the South China Sea and Indian Ocean.
And in what seems to be a reply to critics in India of growing US-India ties, Biden said: "There is no contradiction between strategic autonomy and a strategic partnership. Global powers are capable of both."
(26.07.2013 - Saroj Mohanty can be contacted at saroj.m@ians.in)
-- Indo-Asian News Service
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